Bahrain says embassy work in Syria continues after UAE move

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced the resumption of diplomatic service at the Embassy of the UAE in Damascus, Syria.

President Assad told a Kuwaiti newspaper earlier this year that Syria had reached a "major understanding" with Arab states and claimed Western delegations had also visited Damascus with the intention of reopening their diplomatic missions. The UAE Foreign Ministry said its charge d'affaires assumed his duties on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has lobbied hard for Syria to be readmitted to the league of Arab Nations.

In 2011, the UAE closed its embassy in Damascus after the eruption of the Syrian uprising and the subsequent crackdown on protesters by the Assad regime. An Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters last week he believed a majority wanted Syria to return to the League - with only three Egyptian state-run media have called for Syria to be reinstated.

Also on Thursday, pro-government news outlets in Syria reported the first flight in years between Damascus and Tunisia's capital by Syria's private Sham Wings.

Tehran has been a staunch supporter of Assad's government and has expanded its military footprint in Syria throughout the course of the conflict.

They have given military and logistical support that have helped the regime regain control of most of the territory it lost in the initial years of the civil war.

Arms, training and funds from Arab states were funnelled to Syrian rebels through a programme overseen by the Central Intelligence Agency until U.S. President Donald Trump ordered it shut down a year ago.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading regional efforts to counter what they see as Iran's growing influence in the region. However, U.S. support for the rebels appears to be largely over in the wake of President Trump's announcement last week that he is pulling out all U.S. troops from Syria.

It noted that both Syria and Egypt aim to reactivate the Syrian-Egyptian relations first and the Arab relations in general.

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